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STAND is the student-led movement to end mass atrocities. At its core, our mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and end genocide. From our innovative Leadership Team to our network of thoughtful and change-oriented student activists, we are mobilizing campuses and communities across the country to act against genocide and mass atrocities worldwide.

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Dr. Mukesh Kapila: Against a tide of evil

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Dr. Mukesh Kapila: Against a tide of evil

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Aegis Trust 's Special Representative on Crimes Against Humanity

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Introducing 'Against a tide of evil' by Mukesh Kapila (Purchase through http://www.aegistrust.org for 50% to go to genocide prevention) In 2003, senior British aid diplomat Mukesh Kapila became head of the UN in Sudan. Then he started learning about atrocities in a part of the country few had ever heard of: Darfur.

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The Situation

- Conflict in Context -

From Protests to War

The Syrian uprising began with protests held in early 2011, demanding release of political prisoners. In March 2011, security forces opened fire on protesters at a "Day of Rage" rally in the southern city of Deraa, triggering days of violent unrest and more civilian deaths.

While the demonstrations in Syria were peaceful at the outset, and called largely for reform of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Syrian government's violent response led to widespread defections from the Syrian military and provoked the creation of armed opposition.

The brutal response prompted further non-violent demonstrations across Syria, helping to transform and diffuse series of local grievances into a widespread call for the end of the Assad regime.

Security forces used tanks, combat helicopters, artillery and other heavy weapons against centers of anti-government protest as reflected in numerous massacres.

Sectarian violence also increased with some armed opposition groups committing human rights abuses against Alawite communities due to their perceived support for the government.

The levels of violence prompted the International Committee for the Red Cross to declare the situation in Syria a civil war in July 2012. The new status meant that international humanitarian law applies to all areas where hostilities are taking place.

As reports of chemical weapons were confirmed by the United States in June 2013, crossing a "red line" President Obama had declared the previous year, the United States confirmed that it would provide direct military aid to some opposition groups.

Fighting and abuses have continued dividing the country into areas controlled by the government and an array of opposition groups. The rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) has further complicated the conflict and brought in a new level of barbarity that has prompted air strikes by both the Syrian regime and the United States and its allies. Weapons and other material support continue to flow in to all sides as the United States and other countries debate further involvement.

The Opposition

The formation of an opposition umbrella, the Syrian National Coalition in November 2012 and its subsequent international recognition, including from the United States, appeared to increase the likelihood for a political resolution to the unrelenting crisis. But disagreements among opposition forces over the makeup of a post-Assad transition government raised doubt over their credentials as a viable alternative to the Assad regime.

Further complicating peace efforts, the opposition remains deeply divided beyond their common enemy in the Assad regime. Many extremist Islamist elements have poured into Syria. Estimates vary widely as to the numbers of extremist elements making up the opposition, but their forces have been cited as among the most effective in combating the Assad regime, further complicating the crisis and opening worries about what a post-Assad Syria might look like.

International Response

The United Nations has condemned the violence against civilians, but has been unable to agree on appropriate action. International efforts to quell the violence began with an Arab League observer mission sent to Syria in late 2011 but failed to end the bloodshed. China and Russia have vetoed four UN Security Council resolutions on Syria aimed at stemming the violence.

A resolution (UNSC Res 2139) condemning the bombing of civilian areas and the use of barrel bombs was finally passed in February 2014, but little action has been seen despite ongoing violations by the Assad regime. The Syrian regime also continues to block delivery of cross-border humanitarian aid in violation of two other Security Council resolutions.

Various peace efforts have been tried with the UN now on its third Special Envoy.

A report commissioned by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Syria, cites that war crimes, including murder, extrajudicial killings and torture, and gross violations of international human rights, including unlawful killing, attacks against civilians and acts of sexual violence, have been committed in line with State policy, with indications of the involvement at the highest levels of the Government, as well as security and armed forces.

The report also concludes that the Government forces and Shabiha fighters were responsible for the Houla massacre. While opposition forces also committed war crimes, including murder and torture, the CoI says that their violations and abuses were not of the same gravity, frequency and scale as those committed by Government forces and Shabiha militias.

The plight of an increasing flow of refugees, captured in a heart wrenching photo of the body of a small boy washed up on a beach in Greece, sparked intense debate within Europe and the United States.

The United States has led the world in supplying of $4 billion in aid to Syrian refugees, but has taken in only 1,500 Syrian refugees in the first four years of the conflict. Though the Obama administration has pledged to take in more, human rights groups and former U.S. officials warn the number remains inadequate.

President Obama, Accept More Syrian Refugees

After four years of war and living under the constant threat of mass atrocities and genocide, there are two things the Syrian people need: hope and compassion. We can offer that.

The United States has only accepted 1,600 Syrians in the past four years. And while President Obama has offered to increase that number to 10,000, the scale of the crisis demands a number ten times that.

Take action. Urge President Obama to increase the number of Syrian refugees accepted into the United States and work to make sure that relief efforts are fully funded.

ACT NOW

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Syria Backgrounder - United to End Genocide

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The Syrian uprising began with protests held in early 2011, demanding release of political prisoners. In March 2011, security forces opened fire on protesters at a "Day of Rage" rally in the southern city of Deraa, triggering days of violent unrest and more civilian deaths.

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The "Darfur Genocide" refers to the current mass slaughter and rape of Darfuri men, women, and children in Western Sudan. The killings began in 2003 and became the first genocide in the 21st century.[1] Unrest and violence persist today.

The genocide is being carried out by a group of government-armed and government-funded Arab militias known as the Janjaweed (which loosely translates to 'devils on horseback') or Rapid Support Forces (RSF). [2] The Janjaweed systematically destroy Darfuris by burning villages, looting economic resources, polluting water sources, and murdering, raping, and torturing civilians. These militias are historic rivals of the main rebel groups, the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). As of spring 2020, over 480,000 people have been killed and more than 2.8 million people are displaced. [3]

Sudan is one of the largest countries in Africa. Located in northeastern Africa, it borders the Red Sea and falls between Egypt, Chad, Uganda, and six other countries. The capitol, Khartoum, is in the northeastern part of the country. Darfur is a region in western Sudan that encompasses an area roughly the size of Spain. The population of Darfur is estimated at 7 million people.

The conflict in Darfur has increased tensions in neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic as hundreds of thousands of refugees have streamed over the two countries' borders to escape violence.

Following independence from Britain in 1956, Sudan became embroiled in two prolonged civil wars for most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in the north's domination of the economic, political, and social institutions of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab, southern Sudanese. Competition for scarce resources played a large role. [4] As nomads began to compete for grazing land for their herds, disputes arose and traditional peaceful reconciliation measures were no longer able to settle these disputes, causing the region to become increasingly militarized. The complexities of desertification, famines, and the civil war raging between North and South Sudan contributed to a rise in regional tensions during the 1980s. Similarly, as oil was discovered in western Sudan, the Sudanese government and international contributors became increasingly interested in the land in Darfur.

The first civil war ended in 1972 but broke out again in 1983. [5] The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than 4 million people being displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than 2 million deaths occurred over a period of two decades. [6] As the civil war between the North and the South reached its peak in the 1990's, the government ignored reports of rising violence in Darfur.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended the North-South War in 2005, [7] granting additional political power to South Sudan. However, it failed to take into account the effects of the war on Darfur. Darfur remained underdeveloped and marginalized at the federal level, lacking infrastructure and development assistance. This neglect, combined with allegations that the government was arming Arab tribesmen (Janjaweed) to raid non-Arab villages, was used as the justification for a rebel attack on a Sudanese Air Force Base at El Fasher, North Darfur in 2003. [8] This attack sparked government reprisals on residents of Darfur, contributing to the large-scale human rights atrocities facing Darfuri civilians today.

Failed peace talks have allowed for the continuation of the conflict. The most successful talks thus far took place in Abuja in 2005-2006, leading to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). Present at these negotiations were the Sudanese government and three main rebel groups: the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Abdel Wahid Mohamed al-Nur's faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), and Minni Minawi's faction of the SLM. However, multiple negotiations have thus far been largely unsuccessful.

In July of 2007, the UN issued a hybrid United Nations-African Union mission (UNAMID) to maintain peace in Darfur. [9] UNAMID, with a projected strength of 26,000 troops, was authorized to use force to protect civilians. Despite this mandate, however, only 9,000 troops were sent, and they lacked the necessary equipment to carry out their mission. At its peak, close to 16,000 forces were deployed in the region, well short of the 26,000 that had been authorized. [10] However, throughout 2007-2020, the Sudanese government blocked and prevented UNAMID from accessing towns where many of the Janjaweed attacks occurred. Thus, UNAMID has been, for a large part, greatly ineffective in both providing aid to and protecting civilians. [11] UNAMID originally was authorized for ten years, but in 2017 a resolution was passed for a gradual troop phase-out, ending in mid-2020. [12]

On March 4, 2009, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and, in July 2010, a warrant for arrest on charges of genocide. [13] For ten years the government of Sudan had yet to turn him over. Since the issuance of the warrants, Sudan has seen major protests and increased violence. The government has also forcefully expelled aid agencies from the country that has further jeopardized the conditions for thousands of displaced and marginalized civilians.

It was expected that al-Bashir would not face trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague until he was apprehended in a nation which accepts the ICC's jurisdiction. Sudan is not a state party to the Rome Statute, the international treaty creating the ICC, which it signed but didn't ratify. By all accounts, al-Bashir should be a prisoner in his own country. However, in 2011 the Arab League has announced its solidarity with al-Bashir. Since the warrant, al-Bashir had visited Qatar and Egypt.[14] Both countries refused to arrest him, and the African Union also condemned the arrest warrant and asked the United Nations Security Council to delay its enforcement.

The Sudanese government and JEM signed a ceasefire agreement in February 2010, with a tentative agreement to pursue further peace.[15] However, talks have been disrupted by accusations that the Sudanese army continues to launch raids and air strikes against Darfur villages.

The Janjaweed have also been accused of incursions and attacks in neighboring Chad. Hundreds of aid workers in Chad were evacuated due to increased tension between rebel groups and military forces. Meanwhile, the Janjaweed have ventured deep into Chad to conduct assaults, resulting in the flight of nearly 100,000 Chadians. [16]

In July 2011, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan and became its own nation.[17] During the same month, the Liberation and Justice Movement, an umbrella organization representing rebel groups, and the Sudanese government signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD). [18] This document represents the process of peace in Darfur; however, little progress has been made after the document was signed because of lack of implementation and enforcement.

In 2014 and 2015, government forces backed by the Janjaweed led counterinsurgency campaigns in Darfur where they repeatedly attacked villages, burned and looted homes, and beat, raped, and executed villagers. [19] In October of 2014, a mass rape of over 200 women and girls was organized and executed by Sudanese forces in a north Darfur town over the course of 36 hours. According to defected Janjaweed members, they had been explicitly ordered to "rape women". [20]

Violence continued into 2016. Amnesty International alleged that the government used chemical weapons against civilians, and 190,000 people were displaced due to violence, according to the UN. [21] In 2016, President Omar al-Bashir announced a unilateral ceasefire in conflict zones. This ceasefire was extended until the end of 2018. However, throughout 2017 and 2018, government forces continued to attack villages throughout Darfur, causing deaths and massive displacement of citizens. As of late 2018, over 2 million people remain displaced from the conflict and almost 5 million people in total have been affected. [22]

In April 2019, President Omar al-Bashir was finally ousted. He had been in power for over 30 years and his removal was in response to months of unarmed protests, to which the government responded with armed retaliation. In Sudan, al-Bashir's rule was first followed by a military council and, in August 2019, it was replaced by a transitional government of both military and civilian members. [23] In February 2020, the Sudanese government officially agreed to hand al-Bashir over to the ICC to face war crime and genocide charges. [24]

Attacks on Darfuri villages commonly begin with Sudanese Air Force attacks using Russian-supplied Antonov bombers. Air campaigns are often followed by Janjaweed militia raids. All remaining village men, women, and children are either murdered or forced to flee. Looting, burning food stocks, enslaving and raping women and children, and stealing livestock are common. Dead bodies are tossed in wells to contaminate water supplies and entire villages are burned to the ground.

The on-going conflict in Darfur, Sudan was declared "genocide" by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell on September 9, 2004, in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[25] On February 18, 2006, President George W. Bush called for the number of international troops in Darfur to be doubled. In addition, the US has imposed economic sanctions on Sudan since 1997. However, after working and talking with the Sudanese government for years, the US formally revoked its sanctions on Sudan in 2017. [26] This was largely in response to the Sudanese government's "sustained positive actions in reducing hostilities in conflict areas, improving humanitarian access throughout Sudan, and addressing the threat of terrorism in cooperation with the US." [27]

On September 17, 2006, British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote an open letter to the members of the European Union calling for a unified response to the crisis.[28] In supporting the United Nations Security Council Resolution in 2007 to authorize the deployment of up to 26,000 peacekeepers to prevent further violence in Darfur, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly that the Darfur crisis was "the greatest humanitarian disaster the world faces today."[29] The British government also endorsed the International Criminal Court's indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and urged the Sudanese government to co-operate.

Both China and Russia have blocked many United Nations resolutions on Darfur because of their support for the Sudanese government, a big trading partner. From its seat on the United Nations Security Council, China has been Sudan's chief diplomatic ally. China invests heavily in Sudanese oil. [30] The country is China's largest oversees oil provider. Sudan's military is supplied by Chinese- and Russian-made helicopters, tanks, fighter planes, bombers, rocket launch propelled grenades, and machine guns.

Russia and China opposed UN peace keeping troops in Sudan. Russia strongly supports Sudan's territorial integrity and opposes the creation of an independent Darfuri state. Also, Russia is Sudan's strongest investment partner and political ally in Europe. [31] Russia considers Sudan as an important global ally in the African continent.

Since the ousting of Omar al-Bashir in early 2019, the Sudanese government has established and retained a transitional government. Although this government recently did agree to turn to turn over al-Bashir to the ICC, its next steps and transition to a permanent government remain to be seen. Arbitrary detention, torture, limitations of the freedom of press, and gender-based violence continue to be seen in both Darfur and Sudan as a whole under this new government. [32]
Updated: World Without Genocide, January 2021.
Citations:

[1] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/africa-july-dec08-origins_07-03

[2] https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/janjaweed

[3] https://tolerance.tavaana.org/en/content/darfur-genocide-0

[4] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/print_su.html

[5] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/country-fast-facts-sudan/

[6] https://secondsudanesecivilwars.weebly.com/facts.html

[7] https://peacemaker.un.org/node/1369

[8] https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-rebels-retreat-under-government-air-attack

[9] https://www.un.org/press/en/2007/sc9089.doc.htm

[10] https://thedefensepost.com/2019/11/01/un-unamid-darfur-extended-march-2020/

[11] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/sudan

[12] https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unamid

[13] https://www.icc-cpi.int/darfur/albashir

[14] https://worldpolicy.org/2011/07/07/the-icc-gains-ground-in-the-arab-world/

[15] http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/02/23/sudan.peace.agreement/index.html

[16] https://www.hrw.org/news/2006/02/21/chad-darfur-conflict-spills-across-border

[17] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14069082

[18] https://unamid.unmissions.org/doha-document-peace-darfur

[19] https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mvpy8y/darfurs-tribes-are-killing-each-other-over-gold-and-water

[20] https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/02/11/sudan-mass-rape-army-darfur#

[21] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/sudan-crisis-amnesty-report-cites-evidence-government-used-chemical-weapons-n656121

[22] World Report 2019, op. cit.

[23] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/sudan

[24] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51462613

[25] https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/after-1945/genocide-in-darfur

[26] https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-sudan/

[27] https://sd.usembassy.gov/sanctions-revoked-following-sustained-positive-action-government-sudan/

[28] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/jun/23/speeches.eu

[29] https://www.ft.com/content/28b08110-3f73-11dc-b034-0000779fd2ac

[30] https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/sudan1103/26.htm

[31] https://intpolicydigest.org/2018/03/26/russia-and-sudan-are-cozying-up/

[32] World Report 2019, op. cit.

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Sudan - Darfur " World Without Genocide - Making It Our Legacy

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The "Darfur Genocide" refers to the current mass slaughter and rape of Darfuri men, women, and children in Western Sudan. The killings began in 2003 and became the first genocide in the 21st century.[1] Unrest and violence persist today.